Daring Bakers Challenge #7: Real Honest Jewish Purist's Bagels

Hello World! After two weeks of jet setting with mom, I am back in Atlanta. My trip was absolutely amazing and, after today, the next several posts will focus on the many places I visited, the amazing history lessons I encountered, and (of course) all the food I ate.

But, first I must catch up on some unfinished business. Daring Bakers Challenge #7: Real Honest Jewish Purist's Bagels. I was very excited when Lisa invited me to be part of this fan-tab-ulous group. Originally, I feared I would have to postpone my first challenge since my vacation and other commitments took away my entire June. Luckily, I didn’t need a mixer, so I was able to complete this task while dog sitting before I left. Thanks to Jenny and Freya, for a great challenge this month!

Bagels....Can you say yum? When I learned of this month's challenge, I instantly thought of the bagel places I have entered. Within those memories, some of the best bagels in which I have bitten came to mind, included the Jewish bakeries in Brookline, MA. There was one well-known bakery, Kupel's Bakery (no website available), five minutes from my college apartment, off Haavid Ave. (that’s Harvard Ave, for those of you who pronounce your “ar” sounds.) Hmmmm (as I sit with my head in my hand and reminisce)….bagels……bagels….

While touring central and eastern Europe, I thought this challenge was a timely lead into my vacation diary. The majority of the trip's sight seeing and historical tributes focused on Jewish history, as we visited a number of synagogues that survived WWII's devastation, Jewish quarters, locations of what were once the Ghettos, and Auschwitz-Birkenau. So, Real Honest Jewish Purist's Bagels fits perfectly.

Our directions were….well, to follow the directions. The recipe, for me, yielded 17 enormous bagels. I must admit, I was optimistic, as steps 1 through 6 went without a hitch! Things became suspect when it came time to boiling. I am convinced it had nothing to do with the recipe. My conjecture is that my botched final product was the result of one, or a combination, of the following....(1) I became quite sleepy at the boiling point after eating chocolate (which I am not supposed to do), (2) I had to keep "shoo-ing" the dogs out of the kitchen, or (3) simply because of my baking inadequacies. Now, I must say something positive about the final result. The flat bagels were edible the first evening...and quite tasty. It was the next day that the bagels should have been packaged and sent as hockey pucks to the NHL. Regardless, I completed all the steps and my first challenge. Yippee!!! Thanks Daring Bakers!

Step 1- Proof Yeast: Worked Great!

Step 2- Make Dough & Step 3- Knead Dough

Step 4- Let Dough Rise:

Step 5-

(I found this at Whole Foods)

Step 6- Form Bagels:

Step 7- Pre-heat Oven: Begin to preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 8- Half Proof and Boil Bagels:

Customizing the Outside of my Bagels:

Step 9- Bake Bagels:

Time to Eat! I made a "kitchen sink" sandwich with my bagel, using whatever I was trying to use up in the house I dog-sat. I used a Garlic Parmesan Bagel (the picture came out extremely dark), hummus, tapenade, tomatoes, and avocado. Next time, the tapenade will be left out...made the sandwich too salty.

Note: Okay…this was fun to do! Now, Mele Cotte Bagels weren’t nearly in the same league as the Brookline Massachusetts bakery, but for my first time, I was pleased. I couldn’t help but giggle when the yeast actually proofed. I usually have issues with yeast. Then, my happy giggle happened again when the dough doubled within 45 minutes. I kneaded like Freya suggested, using one hand and leaving the other for additions and (in this case) pictures.